Nebraska Revised Statute 44-5120.01

Chapter 44

44-5120.01.

Repurchase and reverse repurchase transactions.

(1) For purposes of this section:

(a) Acceptable collateral means:

(i) As to reverse repurchase transactions, cash, cash equivalents, highly rated business entity obligations created or existing under the laws of the United States or Canada, public equity securities that are traded on a United States exchange, and direct obligations of, or securities that are fully guaranteed as to principal and interest by, the government of the United States or an agency of the government of the United States or the Federal National Mortgage Association or the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation; and

(ii) As to repurchase transactions, cash and cash equivalents;

(b) Cash equivalents means short-term, highly rated investments or securities readily convertible to known amounts of cash without penalty and so near maturity that they present insignificant risk of change in value. Cash equivalents includes government money market mutual funds and class one money market mutual funds;

(c) Highly rated means an investment with a minimum quality rating as described in subdivision (2) of section 44-5112;

(d) Repurchase transaction means a transaction in which an insurer sells securities to a business entity and is obligated to repurchase the sold securities or equivalent securities from the business entity at a specified price, either within a specified period of time or upon demand;

(e) Reverse repurchase transaction means a transaction in which an insurer purchases securities from a business entity that is obligated to repurchase the purchased securities or equivalent securities from the insurer at a specified price, either within a specified period of time or upon demand; and

(f) Short-term means investments with a remaining term to maturity of ninety days or less.

(2) An insurer may engage in repurchase and reverse repurchase transactions as set forth in this section. The insurer shall enter into a written agreement for transactions entered under this section. Such agreements shall require that each transaction terminate no more than one year from its inception.

(3) Cash received in a transaction under this section shall be invested in accordance with the Insurers Investment Act and in a manner that recognizes the liquidity needs of the transaction or is used by the insurer for its general corporate purposes.

(4) So long as the transaction remains outstanding, the insurer, or its agent or custodian, shall maintain as acceptable collateral received in a transaction under this section, either physically or through the book entry systems of the federal reserve, depository trust company, participants' trust company, or other securities depositories approved by the director:

(a) Possession of the acceptable collateral;

(b) A perfected security interest in the acceptable collateral; or

(c) In the case of a jurisdiction outside of the United States, title to, or rights of a secured creditor to, the acceptable collateral.

(5) The limitations of sections 44-5115 and 44-5137 shall not apply to the business entity counterparty exposure created by transactions under this section. An insurer shall not enter into a transaction under this section if, as a result of and after giving effect to the transaction:

(a) The aggregate amount of securities then sold to or purchased from any one business entity counterparty under this section would exceed five percent of its admitted assets; and in calculating the amount sold to or purchased from a business entity counterparty under repurchase or reverse repurchase transactions, effect may be given to netting provisions under a master written agreement; or

(b) The aggregate amount of all securities then sold to or purchased from all business entities under this section would exceed twenty percent of its admitted assets, and in no event shall the collateral market value of all public equity securities that are traded on a United States exchange received in a reverse repurchase transaction exceed more than twenty percent of the total market value of collateral received in reverse repurchase transactions.

(6)(a) In a repurchase transaction, the insurer shall receive acceptable collateral having a market value as of the transaction date at least equal to ninety-five percent of the market value of the securities transferred by the insurer in the transaction as of that date. If at the close of any business day the market value of the acceptable collateral is less than ninety-five percent of the market value of the securities so transferred, the business entity counterparty shall be obligated to deliver, by the close of the next business day, additional acceptable collateral, the market value of which, together with the market value of all acceptable collateral then held in connection with the transaction, at least equals ninety-five percent of the market value of the transferred securities.

(b) In a reverse repurchase transaction, the insurer shall receive acceptable collateral having a market value at least equal to (i) one hundred two percent of the purchase price paid by the insurer for collateral excluding public equity securities that are traded on a United States exchange or (ii) one hundred ten percent of the purchase price paid by the insurer for public equity securities that are traded on a United States exchange. If at the close of any business day the market value of the acceptable collateral is less than one hundred percent of the purchase price paid by the insurer, the business entity counterparty shall be obligated to provide, by the close of the next business day, additional acceptable collateral, the market value of which, together with the market value of all acceptable collateral then held in connection with the transaction, at least equals the applicable percentage of such collateral as provided in this subdivision. Securities acquired by an insurer in a reverse repurchase transaction shall not be sold in a repurchase transaction, loaned in a securities lending transaction, or otherwise pledged.